Amazon completes Twitch buyout

SEC filing reveals that the transaction is now officially closed

While it had been thought for some time that Google might purchase online streaming service Twitch, Amazon surprised us all in late August when it announced the acquisition of the company for nearly a billion dollars. Twitch shareholders had already approved the deal at the time it was announced, which may explain why it's closed so fast. An Amazon SEC filing from September 25 has revealed that the deal is now officially complete.

It's unclear what Amazon's long-term plans will be with Twitch, but for now the company has promised to let Twitch operate as usual. "Twitch is largely going to remain unchanged for a while," Amazon VP of Games Mike Frazzini said at a town hall meeting. "I think as we talk about what ideas we want to pursue, we'll roll them out and work together over time, but we see this as a tremendous opportunity for the games industry, and for gamers in general."

Analysts were largely bullish on the deal as well. "Twitch is a great deal for Amazon beyond a competitive win, as it accelerates both its video and games initiatives," Digi-Capital managing director Tim Merel said.

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